Rick Doblin slams the FDA for rejecting Lykos MDMA drug

It’s been a rough week for psychedelics pioneer Rick Doblin.

First, the Food and Drug Administration refused to approve the MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder developed by Lykos Therapeutics, a company he founded. The next day, the journal Psychopharmacology withdrew three studies of the treatment, many of whose authors had ties to Lykos or the nonprofit Doblin founded, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).

On Thursday, Lykos announced it would cut 75% of its workforce — and Doblin left the company’s board. Now MAPS is cutting 33% of its own workforce of 42 employees, the company says, in an effort to conserve resources as it sharpens its focus on drug decriminalization and globalizing access to MDMA.